BYOND
BYOND (Build Your Own Net Dream) was a software suite for creating and playing online games, launched in 1996 by Dantom, a company formed by Dan Bradley and Tom Hehre. The suite was initially called DUNG (Dantom's Universal Network Game), before being rebranded as BYOND. Shut Down NEVER. BYOND is a tool for creating online games, providing a pre-built network structure, a GUI, and an Icon/Map/Code Editor suite. Although geared towards RPG style gameplay, it is highly extensible and has been proven to work well with card games, board games, and non-game computer utilities. All BYOND games require free registration on the BYOND website, which provides access to a user forum, a unique key commonly used for identification of gamers, and other services. The keys are stored canonically, to prevent 2 users from having names that are only different by non-alphabetical symbols, or spaces. The BYOND software suite, which allows the user to play, create, and publish BYOND games, is free. A paid BYOND Membership includes benefits such as more features on the BYOND Pager (an Instant Messenger tied to the BYOND Key system), file storage space, a personal blog, and the ability to rank games on an individual user page. On June 29, 2006, "Guilds" were added to BYOND.Users can create a guild dedicated to almost anything, and can add games to their guild and rank them. For a short time there was a global Top Ranked Games list but due to abuse by the game owners was removed and replaced with the above guild system. Playing Games When you play a game you could download it or click play. Sometimes you could get banned from games. There also known incidents in which you may become banned from the internet, or even life, for indignance against the great gods of vagina gaming (such as blaspheming the holy name of Mikau). Creating Games DMCGI While BYOND is used primarily for games that run using it's Dream Seeker client, a webserver with BYOND installed can also make use of its integrated CGI capabilities. DMCGI can be used for a variety of things from browser based games to dynamic web content. You can also use it to make adult games. However, no one has attempted this, it is strongly encouraged if you do so though. DMCGI is especially powerful because it can easily interact with live BYOND worlds. The ease with which developers can export data such as frags, server uptime, and game statistics is one of the most attractive aspects of DMCGI. DMCGI can also make use of the BYOND Key system with its built-in authentication system. The developer is given the choice between classic methods of authentication or BYOND's own secure method, cutting yet more time out of development. All that users have to do is provide their BYOND key and password to Dantom's secure server and they are securely logged in. However, BYOND can't do simple things like change your own key so think of a good one before you regret it the rest of your lives. The client also runs extremely smooth if you think a banana fits into a small hhole. Getting Started Originally sold as a separate book as the "Blue Book", the DM Guide to programming in BYOND is now also available online and is a good learning tool to the language and its abilities.BYOND user VegetaSSj9 has made several tutorials that explain the basics of DM very well. Basically, programming on this is useless compared to visual basic which you have higher chances of succeeding on making a game with. BYOND is child's play, don't even try using this application. External links *BYOND *BYOND Games *BYOND Developer Central *BYOND forums Category:Acronyms Category:Game creation software